HWA Seattle Team
Get to Know the HWA Seattle Chapter Members
Brianna Malotke - Chapter Co-chair
Brianna Malotke is a writer based in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to being a member and on the social media team for the Horror Writers Association, she’s also co-chair of the Seattle Chapter. She has work in Beautiful Tragedies 2 and 3, The Dire Circle, The Nottingham Horror Collective, Under Her Skin, and HorrorScope: A Zodiac Anthology Volumes 1 and 4. In fall of 2023 her debut horror poetry collection, Fashion Trends, Deadly Ends, was released and she was a “Writer in Residence” at the Chateau d’Orquevaux in France. Malotke’s next collection, Lost Cherry, will be published with January Ember Press fall of 2024.
For more malotkewrites.com
Josef B. Wilke - Chapter Co-chair
Josef B. Wilke is a writer based out of Seattle, WA. He’s currently buried alive in writing projects, all of which he hopes will see the light of day some time soon. Horror is a big part of his life, growing up on the Evil Dead franchise, he enjoys slow-burn horror films like Rosemary’s Baby, The Witch and Hereditary. You can follow his selfies and heavy metal references @hashtagspooky.
Naching T. Kassa - Chapter Secretary
Naching T. Kassa is a wife, mother, and writer. She’s created short stories, novellas, poems, and co-created three children. She resides in Eastern Washington State with her husband, Dan Kassa.
Naching is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, The Sound of the Baskervilles, The ACD Society, The Crew of the Barque Lone Star, The Beacon Society and the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. She works in Talent Relations at Crystal Lake Publishing and was a recipient of the 2022 HWA Diversity Grant.
You can find her work on Amazon.
Clay Vermulm - Program Coordinator
Clay Vermulm is a full-time creative writer and editor from Everett, Washington. When not at his desk, he’s an avid mountaineer, rock climber, and backpacker. His debut horror novella, Crevasse, was published by City Stone Publishing in 2022. This year, two of his short stories have been accepted for publication. One will be featured in Jennifer Brozek's flash-anthology 99 Fleeting Fantasies, and the other in Tales of Sleyhouse 2023, by Sleyhouse Magazine. Clay is a member of several writing organizations, including the Horror Writers Association, Northwest Independent Writers Association, Cascade Writers, and Authors of the Flathead.
J.W. Donley
J.W.—HWA and HOWL Society member—lives with his wife and son in the Pacific Northwest where the Cascade Mountains meet the Salish Sea. Growing up he enjoyed R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps books. Later he discovered Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves and authors like Clive Barker and Laird Barron. In July 2021 J.W. published Cats of the Pacific Northwest, a horror chapbook. J.W.'s stories have appeared in anthologies from both Dim Shores and HOWL Society Press.
Luciano Marano
Luciano Marano is an award-winning author, photographer, and journalist. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies, including Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, The Best New Weird Horror, Monsters, Movies & Mayhem (winner: Colorado Book Award), and Crash Code (nominee: Splatterpunk Award), among others, as well as Nightscript, Pseudopod, and Horror Hill.
His reporting, written and photographic, has earned a number of industry awards, and he was twice named a Feature Writer of the Year by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. A U.S. Navy veteran originally from rural western Pennsylvania, he now resides near Seattle (www.luciano-marano.com / Instagram: @ghosttowngossip)
Zachary Kellian
Zachary Kellian is a widely-published author of literary fiction and the co-editor of Orca: A Literary Journal (which publishes a speculative-themed issue every year and is always looking for good horror). He is new to genre fiction, having published his first true horror story this year, but has been a life-long fan of the craft. You can follow him @zackellian on Instagram and listen to his top-rated book podcast, Literary Guise, on all streaming platforms.
Jennifer Brozek
Jennifer Brozek is an award winning author, editor, and tie-in writer. A Secret Guide to Fighting Elder Gods, Never Let Me Sleep, and The Last Days of Salton Academy were finalists for the Bram Stoker Award. She was awarded the Scribe Award for best tie-in Young Adult novel for BattleTech: The Nellus Academy Incident. Grants Pass won an Australian Shadows Award for best edited publication. A Hugo finalist for Short Form Editor and a finalist for the British Fantasy Award, Jennifer is an active member of SFWA, HWA, and IAMTW. She keeps a tight writing and editing schedule and credits her husband Jeff with being the best sounding board ever. Visit Jennifer’s worlds at jenniferbrozek.com.
J.P. Barnett
J.P. Barnett is the author of the award-winning Lorestalker series, a collection of horror adventures about two college-aged women who hunt cryptids instead of going to class. The six-book series has won multiple awards, including the 2022 Kindle Book Award for best Horror novel. When he’s not writing, he’s reading books, playing guitar, or spending too much time on Xbox. J.P. currently resides in Redmond with his partner and hellion of a cat, both of whom look at him dubiously with some frequency.
Find his work here: https://jpbarnett.com
Rick Siem
I am a retired research psychologist. Former resident of the Bay Area, Texas, and Michigan.
“Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein” was my gateway drug, and I can’t seem to write horror without some comic element.
Find Rick here:
Conor Metz
Conor Metz is a horror writer out of Bellevue, Washington. He has loved monsters since the zombies from Michael Jackson’s Thriller gave him his first reoccurring nightmare at 4 years old. Most of his life has been spent in the Seattle area, with about a decade in Los Angeles writing screenplays.
When Conor isn’t writing novels, he’s hard at work seeking out obscure horror films and trash cinema. He also may be found scaling random structures without thought of how he’ll get down or poorly practicing martial arts. Eventually, he plans to use this experience to become the notorious Seattle Ninja.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/conorwmetz
Victor H. Rodriguez
Victor H. Rodriguez is a talent manager and writer. He’s been an audio director and soundtrack producer for hundreds of film, TV and video game projects, including The Crow, God of War, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He's also a regular contributor to Seattle’s Noir at the Bar, and a couple of popular podcasts (including Phantom Galaxy, and Wrong Reel, the podcast for hardcore cinephiles). You can pick up a copy of his first book The Sound of Fear via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/vhrodriguez.
Follow him on Twitter/IG @dimestorecaesar.
Van Essler
Van Essler tinkers with devious devices and macabre magic. She writes a signature blend of dark edged, cross-genre fiction, creating fantastical settings to expose real world societal issues. Her debut horror novel, Vial Thoughts, will be released May, 2023 from Raw Dog Screaming Press. She won the Founder’s Award from the Professional Writers of Prescott for fiction and has short story publications in Like Sunshine After Rain, Story Emporium Magazine, and Zimbell House anthologies. She also holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. A believer in cat naps, Essler makes friends with all of her dreams, whether they are sweet reveries or nightmares.
Website: www.VanEssler.com
Gordon B. White
Gordon B. White is a Shirley Jackson Award- and Bram Stoker Award-nominated writer of horror and weird fiction. He is the author of the collections As Summer’s Mask Slips and Other Disruptions (2020) and Gordon B. White is creating Haunting Weird Horror(s) (2023), as well as novellas Rookfield (2021) and And In Her Smile, the World (with Rebecca J. Allred, 2022). A Clarion West alum, Gordon’s stories have appeared in dozens of venues and numerous “best of” lists. He also contributes reviews and interviews to various genre outlets. You can find him online at www.gordonbwhite.com or on Twitter @GordonBWhite.
Melissa Stewart
Melissa Stewart is a women’s fiction horror writer. Her short stories have been published with Flame Tree, Dark Rose, and Black Hare presses under her pen name M. Leigh. Her unpublished
novel, Stitches, was a finalist with the PNWA contest (2017), Judges Favorite with Ink and Insights (2021), and made the Long List at the Stockholm Writers Festival (2022). She believes that women’s fiction is the perfect space to let horror grow, mutate, and create unforgettable characters.
Find her here www.mleighstories.com or @mleighstories
Jack Finn
Jack Finn is a folk horror and fantasy author living in the PNW, and a lifelong believer that the Tooth Fairy is proof that body parts can be traded for cold hard cash. He is a regular contributor of folk horror stories on Medium and Substack. In 2023, Jack published his first full length novel, The Seven Deaths of Prince Vlad, a tale of of treacherous secrets, supernatural horrors, and ancient religions.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BWNW34F1
Follow him on IG/Twitter/Medium/Substack @therealjackfinn
Scotti Andrews
Scotti Andrews is an award-nominated writer of thrillers and horror, as well as romances written under a pen name. While she may look like the sweet California girl that she is, her heart is dark and her imagination is even darker. Her female characters are talented with both men and knives and her stories explore the wonder, fear and despair of life. With her stories, she promises to scare you and then beckon you to delve deeper into your own dark side.
Melissa Campbell
I’m a litigation paralegal by day, but a storyteller at heart and writing as Melissa Gale. Currently working on erotic and horror short stories based on the energies of the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot. I have a couple of flash fiction pieces published in "Worth 1,000 Words," "Itty Bitty Writing Space" and "Flash! A Collection of Short Fiction." Inconsistently publishing to medium.com and have a couple of erotic flash fiction pieces on myerotica.com (@write2unpack). Lifetime horror lover, new to writing horror. Writing is how I unpack my brain.
Website: www.write2unpack.com
Instagram: @write2unpack
Facebook: Melissa Gale
G.G. Silverman
G.G. Silverman is an author of speculative fiction and poetry who lives just north of Seattle. Her stories have appeared in two Bram Stoker Award-nominated Women in Horror anthologies, and have been published by Cemetry Gates Media, StrangeHouse Books, Molotov Cocktail, Fantasia Divinity, Evil Girlfriend Media, and more. Her stories have also appeared in anthologies listed on Tor’s Most Anticipated Horror Books of 2022. She teaches creative writing at Edmonds College, ClarionWest, and through her own private workshops. Find her online at www.ggsilverman.com.
Royce Buckingham
Royce Buckingham is an American fantasy writer with an English degree from Whitman College and a law degree from the University of Oregon. He has published thirteen novels with major publishers and won multiple awards for his novels and screenwriting. In 2006, Royce sold his first novel, the middle grade fantasy DEMONKEEPER, to Penguin, Putnam. His screenplay for DEMONKEEPER then sold to 20th Century Fox. In his debut, Royce made reading lists, garnered good reviews, and hit the bestseller list in Germany with DEMONKEEPER (DAMLICHE DAMONEN).
Royce’s newest book, Monster Lawyer, is an urban fantasy published by Blanvalet in Germany last fall. Book II comes out October 2023. Rights available all other territories. In addition to writing, Royce works as a prosecuting attorney in Bellingham, Washington.
Find him here: http://www.roycebuckingham.com
E.E.W. (Izzy) Christman
E.E.W. (Izzy) Christman is a freelance writer and editor. They earned their Bachelor's in Creative Writing and their Master's in Creative Nonfiction from Ohio University. Also Izzy still enjoys nonfiction, their focus is primarily on horror and dark fantasy. Their work has appeared in a number of publications, including The NoSleep Podcast, Tales to Terrify, Unwinnable Magazine, Riot Diet: A Fatterpunk Anthology, Divergent Terror, and others. You can read more about Izzy and their writing on their website: www.eewchristmanwrites.com.
Aigner Loren Wilson
Tamara Sellman
Tamara Sellman (she/her) is a retired sleep health professional, patient advocate, healthcare columnist, and medical journalist from Kitsap County who writes speculative fiction, essays, and poetry. Her first book, Intention Tremor (MoonPath Press: 2021) chronicles the five years following her MS diagnosis in 2013. Works in progress include a magical realist novel, Eminent Domain; a Northwest gothic poetry collection, Fairy Lantern; and production of her first-ever poetry films. Her darkly speculative short story collection, Trust Fall, is looking for a home. Tamara previously published Margin: Exploring Modern Magical Realism (1998-2008) and Vitamin ZZZ (limited edition 2018-2019). She is a board member at large for Cascade Writers, a Foolscap volunteer, and a member of HWA, Northwest Film Forum, Author Event Network, and the Bushwick Book Club.
Website and Newsletter
Megan Bledsoe
Megan Bledsoe takes inspiration from the world's unexplained but still undeniable phenomena. She used to be an attorney but now writes in the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her family. Girl, Incorrupted is her first novel. For links to the Look Book, first chapters, socials, and much more, visit meganbledsoe.com/linkinbio
Evan J. Peterson
Evan J. Peterson is an author and game writer whose works include Drag Star! (Choice of Games), the world’s first drag performer RPG, as well as METAFLESH: Poems in the Voice(s) of the Monster and The Road to Innsmouth: Arkham Horror. His writing has appeared in Weird Tales, PseudoPod, Queers Destroy Horror, Nightmare Magazine, and Best Gay Stories. In 2024, Broken Eye Books will publish Evan's first novel, Better Living Through Alchemy, an occult noir mystery set in Seattle. Evanjpeterson.com can tell you more.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/evanjpeterson
Newest published story: "The Untimely Death of Northgate Mall"
Read METAFLESH: Poems in the Voices of the Monster
Play Drag Star! from Choice of Games
Photo by Ailisa Newhall
Jaq Evans
Jaq Evans is a horror and speculative fiction author who grew up running around the woods in Virginia's Blue Ridge foothills and now lives near different mountains in Seattle. A graduate of the Stonecoast MFA program, Jaq writes fiction, narrative nonfiction and poetry. What Grows in the Dark (MIRA, March 5 2024) is her first novel. Follow Jaq's work on Instagram @anomisting, on Twitter @jaqwrites, or online at www.jaqevans.com.
Sadie Hartmann
Sadie Hartmann aka Mother Horror is the co-owner of the monthly horror fiction subscription company, Night Worms and the Bram Stoker Awards® nominated co-editor of Human Monsters: A Horror Anthology. She is the author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered from Page Street Publishing.
She lives in the PNW with her husband of 20+ years where they stare at Mt Rainier, eat street tacos, and hang out with their 3 kids. They have a Frenchie named Owen.
Maria Giakoumatos
Maria Giakoumatos has been interested in all things spooky since she was too small to ride the fun roller coasters in amusement parks. She probably would have become a paranormal investigator if she wasn’t afraid of the dark, so she settled for just writing about spirits. Her family often took her to church as a child, so that may explain some things.
When she isn’t writing her wacky stories, Maria spends her free time playing piano, video games, and exploring haunted locations. She currently lives in Renton, Washington, with her partner and little parrot Rowley.
website: authorbloodymaria.wordpress.com
facebook: facebook.com/mariagiakoumatosauthor
instagram: instagram.com/spookachu.x_x
Erik Keevan
Erik Keevan writes stories and plays about the crossover between horror and mental health, focusing on the human side of the dark tales we all love. He loves the macabre, and even married his wife in a haunted castle. His collection Before/After was released in 2022, and compares his poetry, dark stories, and personal essays before and after a life changing suicide attempt in 2019. You can learn more about everything Erik is up to at www.erikkeevan.com.